Sandy McPhie


Alexander Carpendale "Sandy" McPhie was an Australian politician. He was a National Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1983 to 1989, representing the electorate of Toowoomba North.

Early life

McPhie was born in Charleville to Hector Kitchener McPhie and Florence Nellie, née Shanasy. He attended North Toowoomba State School and Toowoomba Grammar School before studying at The King's School in Parramatta, where he was School Captain in 1947 He then received a Certificate of Agricultural Science from Queensland Agricultural College, and was later an external student with the University of New England.
After working in the family's stock and station company McPhie and Co, and for AML and F, he took up land near Chinchilla where he farmed sheep. In 1957 he crashed a Tiger Moth biplane and spent several years recovering. In 1962 he joined the Royal Australian Air Force as an air traffic control officer, eventually gaining the rank of wing commander, and being in charge of all air traffic control for the Australian Air Force, Navy and Army. He retired from the RAAF in 1981 and returned to his hometown of Toowoomba.

Politics

In 1983 McPhie ran for the National Party and was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as the member for Toowoomba North, serving two terms until his defeat in 1989.

Later life

In 1989 he was appointed Ceann Cath of Clan MacFie. He died at Toowoomba on 5 December 2015.